On the sixth day of June, the weather was sunny.
In the streets and alleys near the school grounds in the east of the city, vendors selling breakfast set out an hour earlier than usual.
The white steam coming out of the steamer merged into one sheet in the morning light, and the fried dough sticks rolled in the pot.
The aroma of soy milk mixed with the sweetness of fried cakes made the whole street feel oily.
The school ground in the east of the city is Qingshan County's largest military training ground. It is used for garrison training on weekdays and covers an extremely large area.
It is surrounded by bluestone walls that are as tall as one person. To the north is a brick and wood structure viewing platform that can accommodate hundreds of people.
Today, the four gates of the school grounds are wide open, and soldiers wearing armor and armed with guns are lined up on both sides to maintain the order of entry.
Eight half-foot-high arenas have already been set up in the center of the school grounds.
Each arena is paved with three-inch-thick iron planks. The platform is painted with russet paint and is surrounded by thick hemp ropes. Brass bells are hung on the ropes, which will jingle when touched.
On the viewing platform due north, there is a piece of red silk hanging three feet wide, with six large ink characters written on it.
Aoyama Martial Arts Tournament.
It had just dawned, and the long queue outside the school grounds had already stretched half a street.
Jiang Fa stood in the queue at the martial arts gym,
Today he was wearing a black suit with sleeves, and the cuffs were tightly tied with fine hemp rope. The whole person looked capable and calm.
"There are more people than expected." Xu Feng stood next to him, stretching his neck and looking forward.
"Nonsense, all the warriors under the age of twenty in the county are here." Zhao Chuan rolled his eyes.
"I'm a little nervous..." Xu Feng swallowed.
"You're so nervous. Whether you can draw a good draw in the first round is the key." Li Chen interjected from the side.
Jiang Fa did not participate in their conversation.
He looked past the dark crowd of heads in front of him and scanned the layout of the school grounds.
Each of the eight arenas was covered with yellow sand, and two soldiers holding flags stood at each corner.
On the auditorium, the main seat in the middle was still empty, and some people were already seated on both sides.
Zhao Zhong took the martial arts disciples to their seats in the west stand.
Zhao Clan Martial Hall A total of more than thirty people came this time. Except for the seven disciples participating in the competition, the rest came to watch and cheer.
Tang Jin'er changed into a smart blue outfit, tied her long hair into a ponytail, and sat in the front row of the stands.
"Brother Jiang, come on!"
She waved to Jiang Fa with a clear and loud voice.
Jiang Fa nodded helplessly towards her.
Qin Xuan was sitting next to Zhao Zhong, dressed in white, with his eyes closed to relax. His whole body was like a sharp sword that had not yet been sheathed, and his aura was extremely restrained.
Wang Shi stood behind him, looking solemn.
"You all come here." Zhao Zhong suddenly said.
After hearing this, several contestants walked up to Zhao Zhong, cupped their fists and saluted. "Master."
Zhao Zhong glanced across the faces of the seven people and warned, "Since you are going to fight, you must go all out and get a good ranking. But remember, martial arts is not a child's play. On the ring, if you can win, win, and if you can't win, give up."
"If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood."
Several people nodded at the same time.
Zhao Zhong said nothing more and waved his hand to let them go back.
The sun is getting higher and there are more and more people in the school grounds.
In the south stand, people from the Liefeng Martial Arts School arrived.
Lie Changkong, dressed in dark green attire, strode up to the viewing platform with rapid strides, and held fists with Zhao Zhong from afar.
Behind him was Lie Jingyun, who was also looking around.
From the east stand, Boulder Martial Hall enters.
The leader was a bald old man in his fifties, short and stocky, with a cold face and a calm expression.
This person is none other than the owner of the Boulder Martial Hall, Shi Chongshan.
Behind him were seven or eight disciples, all of them tall and tall, all dressed in gray cloth.
Zhou Man was also among them.
He saw Jiang Fa from a distance, and a trace of resentment flashed in his eyes.
"Master Shi arrived early."
Luo Tiefeng, the master of the Iron Fist Martial Arts Gym, strode forward to greet him.
This man is in his forties, has a fierce face, and his fists are covered with thick calluses.
It is said that this man often hammered nails with his fist, punching one at a time, and developed a superb iron fist skill, which was even sharper than a hammer.
"Brother Luo, you are determined to win the Iron Fist Gym this year."
Shi Chongshan smiled and cupped his hands.
"No, my son Luo Zhen is not as good as Late Dark Force just now, and he is far behind Li Kunlun, the beloved disciple of Master Shi."
Luo Tiefeng's mouth was modest, but there was a look of amusement in his brows that he couldn't hide.
While the two were chatting, the crowd in the south suddenly became commotion.
Flying Swallow Martial Hall has arrived.
Shui Qingqian, who is about forty years old, has a slim figure and still has charm. She is walking at the front in a water-blue dress, followed by more than a dozen young female disciples, all of them have outstanding looks and fluttering clothes. Wherever they pass, they arouse whispers.
Gu Qingyan walked in the middle of the team, still looking cold and looking straight ahead.
Liu Ying was also in the team. He saw Jiang Fa from a distance and smiled and winked at him.
Qingshan County The three Lineage people came last, but attracted the most attention.
Wang Family The viewing team was the largest, with fifty or sixty people in total. Wang Chengde was dressed in a plain brocade robe with a smile on his face. He was surrounded by everyone and walked onto the viewing platform. Wherever he went, everyone gave way to say hello.
"Hello, Mr. Wang!"
"Wang Family Lord is here!"
Wang Chengde returned the courtesy one by one, with a gentle smile that made people feel like they were taking a breath of spring breeze.
The eldest son, Wang Yanzhi, followed behind him. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe and had a long sword hanging from his waist. He had a handsome appearance and a calm temperament. He impressed everyone with just one glance.
The appearance of the Liu Family is no less impressive.
The head of the Liu Family, Liu Boxhong, was present in person, followed by a group of the Liu Family disciples, all of whom were very impressive.
Zhou Family is much more low-key.
Zhou Family The head of the family, Zhou Nantian, only brought a few followers with him. He found a seat in the corner and sat down, holding a cup of tea in his hand and drinking it slowly, as if he was watching the fun, not competing.
But his son Zhou Tai stood beside him, eyes half closed, holding a silver spear in his arms, his aura as calm as a mountain.
At the Qingshan Martial Arts Association, talents from all walks of life gathered together, and the undercurrent was surging.
Jiang Fa took in everything, and his heart calmed down.
"Everyone, be quiet!"
A loud voice came from the viewing platform.
Everyone followed the sound and saw Qingshan County Zun Meng Qiuran standing up.
He was about fifty years old, with a white face and long beard, wearing a dark blue official robe, his hands pressed on the fence, and his voice was loud and full of energy.
"Qingshan County Martial Arts Competition is held every two years to select young talents and promote the development of martial arts!"
"This martial arts competition is jointly supervised by the county and the three sects Qingyang Prefecture. The rules are the same as previous ones: martial artists under twenty years old, regardless of origin, male or female, can participate!"
"On the ring, fists and feet have no eyes, and life or death does not matter! But once you fall outside the ring, admit defeat, or lose the strength to fight again, you will be deemed a loser! Do not seek revenge in private, and violators will be severely punished!"
"There are a total of one hundred and eight contestants this year!"
"Today's first round, eight arenas will start at the same time. The opponents will be drawn by drawing lots. The winner will advance to the next round!"
After Meng Qiuran finished speaking, he took out a copper bell from his sleeve, raised it high above his head, and shook it violently.
"The Qingshan Martial Arts Tournament officially begins!"